Summer colognes
The summer season signals a change in wardrobe, decor and fragrance. Just like you swap out that cashmere sweater for shorts and T-shirts, it’s a good idea to change your perfume in the summer.
Reach for a lighter, fresher cologne that reflects the mood of the season. Summer brings heat, humidity, pool parties and lazy days on beaches. Certain fragrances reflect the summer season. These colognes capture the season’s essence with a blend of citrus, light florals, berries and organic smells such as grass and marine notes.
Fragrance companies used to market scents based on gender. However, some of the best fragrances are called universal or shared and can be worn by anybody.
Summer cologne composition
Notes
Like with fruit, flowers and colors, fragrances can be seasonal. To determine what makes a scent better suited for summer, it’s helpful to understand the composition of colognes. When you smell a scent, you take in notes — the ingredients or essence of the fragrance. Fragrances have top, middle and base notes.
Top notes are the first scents you smell when the fragrance leaves the bottle and interacts with your nose. The middle notes are more potent and provide more intense aromas. Then you have the base notes, the foundation of the fragrance. Base notes tend to linger longest and are what you smell hours after the fragrance dries down. However, this doesn’t mean top notes dissipate. Instead, how the top and middle notes blend with base notes after the fragrance dries down is what gives a scent its character.
Cologne strength
How long it takes a fragrance to dry down depends on the strength of the cologne and your skin type. The word cologne is a generic term, often used interchangeably with fragrance or perfume. Most fragrances come in different strengths — eau de toilette, eau de parfum and pure parfum.
Generally speaking, an eau de toilette is less concentrated than an eau de parfum. An eau de toilette includes 10%-15% of the fragrance essential oils, also known as the “juice.” An eau de parfum has 15%-21% of fragrance juice. The lighter the juice, the quicker the fragrance evaporates. Body sprays, splashes and eau fraiche (fresh water) are the lightest concentrations and may contain less than 3% of fragrance juice. These cost less because they have a hint of fragrance. The scent doesn’t last long, but some of these are perfect for a hot summer day.
Although sales associates will use phrases such as pure, organic or synthetic-free, a pure parfum has just 20-30% of fragrance oils. Nearly all fragrances contain alcohol.
Fragrance and skin
When considering a scent for the summer, keep in mind the role heat and humidity play in changing how a fragrance may smell on your skin. Oily skin can hold scents longer than dry skin. If you have extremely dry skin or want a summer fragrance to stick longer, apply an unscented lotion or body cream to your skin before spraying cologne. You can also use the body cream in the scent of the cologne you plan to wear.
Choosing the right summer scent
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So what makes a scent right for summer? Think of the flowers, fruits and occasions associated with summer. What ingredients go into a great summer cocktail? Any scent that works in the spring is just as good in the summer.
You don’t have to avoid your heavier winter aromas such as cinnamon, chocolate, oud, tobacco or sandalwood, you just don’t want them in the top notes. Those same scents as base notes can work well with florals, mints and citrus.
When in doubt, use color as a hint. Perfume makers adhere to a loose color-coded system. Heavier fragrances for fall or evening are often in dark-colored bottles, or the fragrance itself is brown or dark blue. Summer or lighter scents are often in light blue, white or clear bottles. The packaging evokes feelings of summer. Summer fragrances might even include French or Italian spellings of the words blue and white, as in (blu/bleu and blanc/blanco) or for water, acqua or eau. Examples include Bleu de Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana’s Light Blue, Acqua di Parma’s Blu Mediterraneo line of colognes or Tom Ford’s Eau de Soleil Blanc.
Fresh or clean summer fragrances may include a variation of the terms fresh and clean, such as with Chanel Chance Eau Fraiche, Clean Reserve Classic Fresh Laundry and Versace Man Eau Fraiche.
Best summer colognes
Best of the best summer cologne
Acqua di Parma Blu Mediterraneo Fico di Amalfi: available at Sephora
Our take: If Mother Earth could bottle summer, Acqua di Parma’s Blu Mediterraneo Fico di Amalfi is what it would smell like.
What we like: The scrumptious base notes of fig nectar, musk and cedar blend beautifully with citrus tops notes of mandarin, lemon, orange and grapefruit. Jasmine and pink pepper highlight the middle notes. This universal scent is available in sizes from .5-2.5 ounces. You can also find the fragrance in a rollerball.
What we dislike: Although the eau de toilette lasts on the skin, this cologne doesn’t come in an eau de parfum.
Best bang for your buck summer cologne (feminine)
Marc Jacobs Perfect Eau de Parfum: available at Amazon, Macy’s, Ulta and Sephora
Our take: Marketed with the theme of self-acceptance, Marc Jacobs Perfect is a universal scent.
What we like: This perfume has floral top notes and cedarwood base notes, with a middle of almond milk, making for a truly unique blend. The fragrance top is a whimsical work of art.
What we dislike: It’s light, even for a summer scent, and it fades far too quickly.
Best bang for your buck summer cologne (masculine)
Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male in The Navy Eau de Toilette: available at Ulta and Amazon
Our take: Le Male in The Navy smells like a summer afternoon at a secluded beach.
What we like: A burst of cool peppermint forms the top notes, with marine notes in the middle. Warm vanilla base notes provide a sensual dry down. The aquatic fresh scent comes in a version of the iconic Jean Paul Gaultier torso-shaped bottle.
What we dislike: The minty top notes linger and make it harder to pull this scent in the evening.
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Best splurge summer cologne
Maison Francis Kurkdjian Gentle Fluidity: available at Amazon
Our take: Frances Kurkdjian markets Gentle Fluidity as a fragrance that breaks down “the barrier between men’s and women’s perfumery.”
What we like: Nutmeg, coriander, vanilla and amber woods read like a fall fragrance. However, the juniper berry brightens this fragrance and makes it ideal for summer. The subtle luxury can move from day to night, office to dinner. You can wear Gentle Fluidity year-round, and it stays on all day.
What we dislike: This fragrance is pricey and has a hint of metallic undertones.
Best new summer cologne
Jo Malone Yellow Hibiscus Cologne: available at Sephora
Our take: Released in spring 2021, Jo Malone’s Yellow Hibiscus features top notes of rose with a hint of lime. It’s fresh with a subtle sweetness.
What we like: Yellow Hibiscus dries down clean and almost sheer — perfect for a summer weekend retreat.
What we dislike: It’s so sheer that you have to spray often if you want it to last all day.
Merlisa Lawrence Corbett is a writer for BestReviews. BestReviews is a product review company with a singular mission: to help simplify your purchasing decisions and save you time and money.
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